Live Forever
by Tragedy Tay
Summary: In the two weeks since Trey, Summer hadn't spent the night alone, not once. She was always with Seth. Because, for the first time, they are all the other has.


Title: Live Forever

Summary: In the two weeks since Trey, Summer hadn't spent the night alone, not once. She was _always _with Seth. Because, for the first time, they are all the other has.

Rating: PG-13

AN: I started this the night of the finale. Basically, it's Seth and Summer's summer. Thanks to Erica, Bee, and Rachel for encouraging me to finish it. It became known as my British fic, because...well, because I think it sounds British. Whatever. Read, and review, please. Also, I really will try to finish a multi-chapter fic, one of these days. Enjoy!

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_I think you're the same as me, we see things they'll **never** see. You and I are gonna live forever._

_-Oasis_

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Summer is worried about him.

His brother is in juvie. Sandy is, quite plainly, lost without Kirsten, and has zero time left for Seth, between trying to get Ryan out, and Kirsten. And Julie sent Marissa away to rehab, while they wait for _her _court date.

But Summer still has Seth. And vice versa. Marissa doesn't even have that.

When they were all still in the room, before the cops came, before Marissa started screaming, Ryan touched her hand in a way that was obviously meant as comforting, but that Summer saw as final, in a way. And she was right. That was the last time Summer ever saw Ryan willingly touch Marissa. She and Ryan weren't even pretending that they could make it through this.

Whereas Summer and Seth had been shoved violently together.

She can hardly believe that, not even a month ago, she was debating choosing Zach over him. There's no choice involved with that.

It's always been him.

And it will always _be_ him.

She was scared to be alone, since Trey. She always needed someone with her. But that was okay, because Seth was the same way.

In the two weeks since Trey, Summer hadn't spent the night alone, not once. She was _always _with Seth.

Because, for the first time, they are all the other has.

A thousand times a day, he laces his hand through hers, holding onto her like a four year-old, and gazing at her like she is the last lifeline that will stop him from completely falling off the face of the earth.

And she hugs him, and holds him, and stands on her tiptoes, trying in vain to kiss the top of his head like his mother can't. And he kisses her forehead like her mother wouldn't.

They hide together in her perpetually empty house, and it would be very much like playing house, except that they are making an attempt to be serious, so there was no playing involved at all. Neither of them sleeps much; they don't like their dreams.

And, of course, there are other, more _enjoyable _activities as well. She figures that it would be nothing short of a miracle if she doesn't end up pregnant from this. And _that_ would just be icing on the summertime cake.

Tonight they stay awake as long as they can by repeating the plot of any story they've ever read, comic books, novels, ghost stories, etc. She chimes in on his analyzation of some Anime shows with the finer points of Madame Bovary, skipping all the boring nature crap. He gives her a detailed critique of some CDs that just came out, and she yawns her way through some of the more _interesting _articles of Cosmo, prying out a couple of rare laughs from him. He's in the middle of a sentence when she finally drifts off.

And once a nightmare inevitably wakes her, she feels happy at first, blinking dreamily, his arms draped securely around her. And a few seconds later, when the weight of what's happened hits her, she feels guilty for enjoying it.

She lay awake for a while, comtemplating possible reasons why summer felt it had to be the most dramatic of the seasons, because, honestly, this would be a lot more comfortable in winter.

She rolled over a little, and was surprised to find Seth blearily smiling at her, blinking sleep out of his eyes.

"Hi."

"Cohen, when did you wake up?" He mumbled nonsense, and yawned, and she smiled.

He grinned back, brighter. "I love your eyes, Summer," he whispered, still mumbling, and obviously half-alseep. He reached over, and brushed her cheek with his hand, cupping her face toward his. "Your tragedy eyes."

She laughed, but she cried a little too. She buried her face in his chest, felt him fall asleep again, and wished for the thousandth time that she could shield him. She felt so worthless, curled in bed, when everyone else they love is in hell. But she also loves it, because nothing can ever be as important as this.

She's not completely self-absorbed, she's also Seth-absorbed. All this time makes her notice everything about him, things that would be annoying in any other person, but that can't be _too_ annoying in him, because they come wrapped in puppy-dog eyes.

Like how he taps his fingers on her leg during the middle of a movie. Or how he clicks his tongue along with the beat of a song. Or how he still stares at her, transfixed, when he thinks she isn't looking.

She goes with him to visit his mother, and that makes them both feel better, because Kirsten is always happy to see them, and eager for gossip, even if she pretends to hate it.

He goes with her to visit Marissa, and squeezes her hand for ten minutes after they find out she's refused to see Summer for the third time. He _hates _Marissa, as he hugs her when they get home, rubbing her heaving back, as she uses his shirt for a tissue.

They take turns pretending. Pretending to be happy. To be strong. Because they didn't need two rocks, but one is always welcome. One does the crying, one does the holding, with the knowledge that later it will be reversed. Seth doesn't actually cry. Seth sits, Seth stares. Summer understands that, but she stared enough last summer, so Summer yells, and screams, and sobs, never in words, but he understands her perfectly.

It's not an ideal relationship, but in a way, it _totally _is. It's horrible, and agonizing, but it's exactly what the other needs.

Everything is fucked up, but for now they're happy enough to have, and to hold.

And to keep.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

end.


End file.
